Greek Tacos with Lemon Rice and Creamy Cucumbers

       Here it is Taco Tuesday again and expanding the kids palettes.  We had Greek Tacos using pitas for the taco shell instead of tortillas.  It was also a night of baseball, so we had split dinners with the kids eating at the game and David and I ate when we got home.  It's what we have to do sometimes.  

    One great thing to share about this meal is since we had to eat separately, this meal was great to make ahead of time, and heat up accordingly.  Actually the cucumbers get better when they sit in the fridge for a bit to allow the flavors to come together.

Don't get overwhelmed!  Yes there are a lot of ingredients, but in the directions, I separated them into the three dishes in this post.  

This recipe serves 6 with a little leftover.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp and 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2.5 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, 1/2 sliced and 1/2 diced
• 2 pkgs pita
• 3 tbsp Greek seasoning: 2 tsp each of onion and garlic powders, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp dried basil, salt and pepper, 1 tsp dried dill
• Juice and zest from 1 lemon, reserve 1 tsp for the cucumbers
• 2 cups rice
• 2 tbsp dairy free butter
• handful of chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 of one large seedless cucumber, sliced into quarters
• 1 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 c. white wine vinegar, more if needed
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• pinch of mustard seeds
• salt and pepper
• Taco toppings: sliced tomatoes, Creamy Cucumbers, diced onion, coleslaw mix

Directions:

Greek Taco Meat

1. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet.  Once heated on medium high heat, add the ground beef.  Season with 2 tbsp of the Greek seasoning mixture.  Add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Brown and drain.  Set aside.

Lemon Rice

1. Heat 4 1/2 c. water in a medium pot.  Cover and bring to a rolling boil.  
2. Season with salt and remaining Greek seasoning.  Once the water is boiling, add rice. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to simmer.  Rice is cooked when the water is cooked out and no longer crunchy.  Remove from heat.  Add lemon juice and zest and parsley.  

Creamy Cucumbers

1. In a medium size bowl combine mayo, sugar, vinegar, 1/4 olive oil, 1 tsp dried dill, salt and pepper, mustard seeds, and reserved lemon juice.  Whisk together.
2. Add sliced onions and cucumbers to the bowl.  Mix well.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  
3. This is best when made in advance and refrigerated for at least an hour.  
4. When serving use as a garnish or on the side or both!  

Assembling the Tacos

1. Warm pitas at a low temperature in the oven for a few minutes.
2. Top with Greek Taco Meat mixture, diced onions, Creamy Cucumbers, coleslaw mix, and sliced tomatoes.  Enjoy!!

Shown prepackaged for the baseball game.